The train route was made possible by a $32 million federal grant awarded to Minnesota last year

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the statement below on the addition of a new train to Chicago from St. Paul. The train route was made possible by a $32 million federal grant awarded to the state last year. 

“This investment in passenger rail expansion will boost travel and tourism while expanding economic growth across our region. I’m proud to have helped secure the federal grant to make it happen, and I will continue pushing for additional resources to improve our state’s transportation infrastructure.”

The Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail (TCMC) would add a second daily round trip passenger train on the 411-mile rail corridor (used by Amtrak’s long-distance Empire Builder) between Chicago and the Twin Cities. The project will provide residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois convenient access to jobs, cultural attractions, top universities, and world-class health care. The TCMC will help to better connect smaller urban and rural communities with the economic epicenters of the region of Milwaukee, the Twin Cities, and Chicago as well as provide more reliable service with better on-time performance for both passenger and freight trains.

In April, Klobuchar sent a letter to Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressing her strong support for the inclusion of the TCMC and the Northern Lights Express (NLX) in Amtrak’s 15-year strategy, which includes bringing service to more than 160 new communities.

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